Folding cot.



No. 633,525. Patented Sept. 19, I899.

' v J. H. MARTINDALE.

FOLDING COT.

. (Application, filed Nov. 23, 1898.) (No Model.)

NITED STATE-S PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES HENRY MARTINDALE, OF FORT VORTH, TEXAS.

FOLDING COT.

srEcIFIcATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 633,525, dated September 19, 1899.

Application filed November 23,1898. Serial No. 697,280. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES HENRY MARTIN- DALE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort forth, in the county of Tarrant and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Cots, of which the following is a-specification.

The invention relates to that class of cots which have a separable and foldable framework and a flexible bottom.

The object of my invention is to improve the corner irons or brackets which connect the end and side bars and the legs, so that these parts will be rigidly held in their operative position; and a further object is to so construct the frame of the cot that its legs may be folded inwardly into longitudinal alinement with each other upon the under sides of its end bars and to form the removable side bars in two hinged parts of equal length with each section of about the length of the end bars, so that when the side bars are removed, folded, and laid parallel with the end bars and the legs folded upon the end bars the cot may be rolled up into a compact roll just the length of the end bars.

The above objects I accomplish by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side view of my improved cot. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view showing one leg folded. Fig. f is a detail inverted plan View of the hinge for the side-bar sections. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the corneniron. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the cot folded, and Fig. 7 is a detail view illustrating the manner of folding the legs.

Referring to the drawings, A A designate the end bars of the cot-frame, and B B designate the side or longitudinal bars, formed in two sections 1? h, each section being of the same length as the end bars A and coupled at their abutting ends by a hinged lockingjoint B with pivot-pin W.

C O designate the corner irons or brackets, which connect the side and end bars and support the legs D. The corner-iron C may be cast or struck up from sheet metal and comprises three sockets c 0 0 The sockets c are formed on the upper ends of the corner-irons, and when the corner-irons are in place extend horizontally toward each other in the direction of the width of the frame and receive the ends of the end bars A, which are rigidly secured therein by means of screws which extend through apertures a in the sides of said sockets c, as shown. The sockets o are in a somewhat lower plane than the sockets c and project toward each other in the direction of the length of the cot in order to receive the ends of the side bars B B, which may he slid snugly therein, but are removable therefrom. The sockets c are vertically disposed directly beneath the sockets c and at the intersection of the sockets c therewith and are provided in their vertical end walls with vertical slots 0 and in the lower edges of their outer side walls with notches o", the lower ends and inner sides of the said sockets 0 being open, as shown. Flanges 0 separate the sockets o and 0 The legs D extend at their upper ends into the sockets o and have a pivotal sliding connection therewith by means of the headed pins or screws 0 which pass through the slots 0 into the legs, and the legs are provided 'near their upper ends with bolts and thumb screws c. Now when the legs are swung outwardly and then slid into the sockets the bolts will enter the notches c and, upon the thumb-screws being clamped down, will lock the legs against folding inwardly. The legs D are about half the length of the end bars A A, so that they may be folded inwardly into alinement against the under sides of the respective end bars, as shown.

The bottom of the cot is formed of any suitable flexible material capable of being rolledsuch, for instance, as canvas or woven wires and detachably secured to the end bars A A and the side bars B B by means of leather billets or flaps F, having eyelets f, adapted to be inserted on knobs or the like G on such sides and ends.

when it is desired to fold the cot for shipment or storage, it is first turned upside down, the thumb-screws are unclamped, and the legs D are pulled out of the sockets and folded inwardly upon the end bars. The side bars B B are now grasped at their middle portions, and their sections 1) b will swing together on the pivot b thus withdrawing the ends of the sections from sockets c c. The

sections 1) b will now be folded close together and laid parallel with the end bars A A, whereupon the cot may be rolled up from each end transversely of its length into a compact roll, as shown in Fig. 6, and fastened together by a shawl-strap or the like for convenience in transportation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

'1. In a folding cot, the frame comprising end bars, removable side bars formed in hinged sections of about the length of the respective end bars, corner-irons havinghorizontal transverse upper sockets in which the ends of the end bars are rigidly secured, horizontal longitudinal sockets into which the ends of the side bars are removably slipped and vertically-disposed leg-sockets beneath the end-bar sockets and open at their lower ends and inner sides, and the legs having a pivotal sliding connection with the leg-sockets and provided with devices for locking them to the sockets against folding said legs being adapted, when the locking devices are disconnected, to fold against the lower sides of the respective end bars, substantially as set forth.

2. In a folding cot, the frame comprising end bars, removable side bars each formed in two sections, corner-irons having sockets 0 receiving the ends of the end bars, which are rigidly secured therein, sockets c remov ably receiving the ends of the side bars, and vertically-disposed leg-sockets open at their lower ends and inner sides and provided with slots 0 and notches c and the legs provided with pins or screws extending through said slots and with bolts adapted to engage said notches when the legs are extended, as set forth.

JAMES HENRY MARTINDALE.

Vitn esses:

ISAAC T. MAYFIELD, ALEXANDER BARCLAY. 

